Description:

According to a new EU report, even if Croatia ends negotiations for accession to the EU by the end of next year, admission is unlikely before 2011 at the earliest.

The statement by Hannes Swoboda, European Parliament rapporteur for Croatia, confirmed that Croatia is not concluding negotiations at the required speed, nor is it reforming some of its key industries to achieve the right level of competitiveness. Media intimidation is also a worry for the EU as highlighted in the recent case of a Croatian journalist who suffered a severe beating for covering crime & corruption.

However he also referred to the internal problems at the EU among them the rejection by Ireland of the Lisbon treaty and trying to legalise another round of enlargement. The government of Croatia continues to talk up its chances of joining by 2010 and closing all negotiations by the end of next year, but to most observers this is looking increasingly unlikely.